Someone has switched my baby. Instead of the one I know, who was generally happy and full of energy, there’s now one who whinges and complains about almost everything. Putting on clothes? Oh no, not clothes! Changing the nappy? No no no, hate nappies! Hungry, but angrily shakes her head at all the food I offer. Tired, but screams when I take her to the bedroom. Clingy, but fights me while I put her in the sling.

And while the old one wasn’t a great sleeper, she had learned to go to sleep without much of a struggle. This stranger I have here now can spend an hour fussing and fighting me in the bed. Which means she doesn’t get enough sleep, which makes her mood even worse.

We had a round of something similar back in November, and at the time I guessed that Ingrid was angry because she couldn’t tell us what she wants. That’s still part of the problem, I’m sure. While she has become better at communicating, she’s also developed new and more complex wants that are harder to explain by pointing at things.

But I suspect that this time there’s more to it. It seems that now the underlying cause is frustration over not being able to control the world. Ingrid now gets angry when things are not done her way and don’t go exactly the way she wants – when she cannot decide. She may not like a wet nappy, but when I decide to change it she still gets angry because it was my decision. She may feel cold when we’re out, but gets angry when I put on her hat. However if she gets to pull out the hat herself and hold it out to me, then it’s OK to put the hat on. Same deal with the sling: once she is sitting there she is happy, but she seems to resent my decision to put her in the sling.

I wasn’t expecting this kind of independence and need to control quite yet… Well, anyway, I’m sure it’s just a phase. As always.